Electroplating racks



July 3, 1962 w. E. BELKE 3,042,605

ELECTROPLATING RACKS Original Filed May 26, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l A ///A /Al IN V EN TOR.

W. E. BELKE ELECTROPLATING RACKS July 3, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed May 26, 1955 iiuuuuuuuuuuuua I.

3,942,605 ELECTROPLATENG RACKS William E. Belke, Chicago, 111., assignor to Belire Manufacturing (10., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application Sept. 27, 1957, Ser. No. 686,616, now Patent No. 2,958,642, dated Nov. 1, 1960, which is a division of application Ser. No. 511,264, May 26, 1955, now Patent No. 2,820,757, dated Jan. 21, 1958. Divided and this application Sept. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 56,822 1 Claim. (Q1. 264-297) The present invention relates to electroplating racks, and is a division of my prior application, Ser. No. 686,616, filed September 27, 1957, now patent No. 2,958,642, on Plating Racks, which in turn is a division of my application Ser. No. 511,264, filed May 26, 1955, which issued January 21, 1958, as Patent No. 2,820,757.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of improved structures of electroplating racks including a supporting spine and one or more article supporting tips in which the assembly of the parts cuts a new, bright surface in the bore of the spine, producing a high conductivity connection, and in which these parts are automatically covered and sealed against the ingress of electrolyte to maintain the good electrical connection, and prevent erosion of the conducting metal.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a plurality of forms of electroplating rack assemblies utilizing wires for supporting the articles to be plated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved rack assemblies and spine assemblies which may be provided with a maximum number of wire tips so that they may support a maximum number of articles to be electroplated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the two sheets of drawings accompanying this specification,

FIG. 1 is a View in perspective of an electroplating rack provided with a multiplicity of different types of tips;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line 22 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary exploded view showing the spine and parts of the tip assembly which are illustrated in the upper part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view in partial section of one of the mounting bushings;

FIG. 6 is a similar view of another form of bushing;

The present invention relates particularly to wire tip assemblies such as the one illustrated at 21 at the top of FIG. 1 and at 22, and also those shown in FIG. 8.

The tips illustrated at 23 and 24 are covered by other applications.

The tip assembly 21 is illustrated in detail in FIG. 2 and is supported upon the spine 20, which comprises an elongated bar of conducting metal, such as copper, provided with a bare hook 26 at the top for engaging a supporting rod, and covered overall with electrical insulation 25, which also extends over all parts of the tips except the extreme end portions 27, 27, which are adapted to engage the articles to be plated.

The spine 20 is provided with a plurality of through bores 28; and in FIG. 2 the through bore is provided with a metal screw bolt 29 having a threaded shank 30 and a head 31. The screw bolt supports a metal washer 32 and a bushing of the type shown in FIGS. 5 or 6.

res atent 3,042,605 Patented July 3, 1962 The brushing 33 may be of the type shown in FIG. 6, in which case a spacer sleeve 34 is interposed between the Wires 35, 3'6 and the bushing 33. The bushings shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are similar except that the bushing 37 has the threaded tubular extension 38.

Both bushings have the non-circular head 39 and the threaded through bore 40; and both are provided with a frustoconical portion 41 having a plurality of sharp cutting ridges 42 separated by V grooves 43. The small end 44 of each bushing is smaller than the bore 28 in the spine so that the bushing extends into the bore 28 a substantial distance; and the sharp cutting edges 42 are adapted to cut a bright new surface in the bore 28 to establish a better electrical connection.

At its other end the threaded shank 30 of the screw bolt 29 is provided with a nut 45 having an outer noncircular surface 46, such as hexagonal, and an inner threaded bore 47. Nut 45 has a frusto-conical end surface 48, which engages in the bore 28 and centers the bolt 29 and draws the bushing 33 tightly into the bore 28, cutting new surfaces and establishing the electrical connection.

The nut 45 is covered by an insulating cover nut 49 having a threaded bore '50 receiving the projecting portion of the screw bolt 29, and having an enlarged bore 51 receiving and housing the metal nut 45.

The insulating cover nut 49 has its annular end 52 tightly engaging the insulation 26 on the spine and establishing a liquid-tight seal to exclude the electrolyte from the metal.

The wires 35 and 36 are each formed with a curved portion at 53, midway between their ends, curving about the shank iitl of bolt 29; and these curved portions are clamped between the washer 32 and spacer 34.

From the central curved portions 53 the two wires extend parallel to each other at 54, 55 from both sides of the bolt; and thereafter they diverge at 56, 57.. From the diverging portions 56, 57 the wires 35, 36 have straight portions 58, 59, and thereafter inwardly extending diagonal portions 60, 61, terminating in a pair of parallel straight portions 6 2, 63, which may initially diverge from each other because they are adapted to be sprung together to have the end portions 62, 63 inserted in an aperture of an article to be plated.

These end portions are provided with flat bareground surfaces 64, which are to establish electrical contact with the article, since the rest of the wire is also covered with the insulating compound.

The insulating compound covers overall the juncture of the wires and the head of the bolt and bushing at 65 and is provided with a cup shaped resilient flange 66 that engages the insulation 26 on the spine and efiects a liquidtight seal at this point.

Referring to FIG. 3, this shows a fragmentary portion of the tip assembly 21, in which four wires 67, 68, 69, and are carried by the bolt 71, which in this case is threaded from end to end and without a head. In this case a bushing of the type 37, shown in FIG. 5, is employed; and the wires have portions which curve about the threaded end portion 38 of the bushing.

The two wires 67 and 70 may besimilar to the wires 35 and 36, previously described; but the wires 68 and 69 have forwardly extending portions 72, 73 so that the straight portions 75, 76, 77, 78 may extend forwardly; and the bare end portions 7 9 are spaced from each other and from the ends of the wires 67, 68.

A washer 80 and a nut 81 clamp the wires against the annular shoulder 82 on the bushing 37; and the assembly is covered with the same insulation 83 over all and provided with the same resilient cup 66, effecting a seal against the insulation 26 on the spine 24.

The other parts of the structure of FIG. 3 may be the same as described with respect to FIG. 2.

It will thus be observed that I have invented a plurality of improved forms of tip assemblies for electroplating racks by means of which a multiplicity of small articles may be supported in good electrical contact with the rack, although everything, except the end portions of the tips, is covered with insulation.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

An electroplating rack comprising an elongated vertically extending metal spine comprising a fiat body formed at its upper end with a downwardly open V shaped hook, said body' being covered over all except at its hook with an initially plastic layer of electric insulation, the said body being provided with a plurality of transversely extending apertures spaced from each other, and each aperture being provided with a tip structure for supporting articles to be electroplated, one of said apertures being provided with an electricallyconducting bushing having a tapered end and a threaded bore, the said tapered end being longitudinally grooved and provided with converging sharp edges bordering its grooves and adapted to cut a new bright contacting surface in the aperture in said body when the tapered end is forced into said aperture, a threaded shank in the bore of said bushing and extending through the bushing and through the aperture of said body and projecting from the other side of said body, an

elongated non-circular nut having a threaded bore receiving said shank on which it is threaded, and said nut having a frusto-conical end engaging the adjacent side of said body and centering said shank in said aperture, said nut drawing the nut and the bushing into said aperture to eiiect a tight electrical connection, said shank projecting beyond said nut with its threaded end, and having an insulating cover nut provided with a threaded bore for receiving the threaded end of the shank, and having a counterbore large enough to rotate about said tapered nut, the said cover nut engaging the plastic insulation on said body and excluding electrolyte from engagement with the tapered nut and threaded shank at this side, two pairs of Wire tip members arranged on the opposite sides of said bushing and having parallel portions engaged by a washer at their central portions and secured against an annular shoulder on said bushing, each of said wires having a diagonal diverging portion extending from each side of said bushing, and each of the Wires being provided with a straight parallel portion, a diagonally inwardly extending portion, and a straight, bare end portion, one pair of said wires extending transversely to the axis of the bushing and the other pair of said wires being bent forwardly and diagonally from the bushing, providing four resilient pairs of wire ends spaced from each other to support objects to be electroplated, the wires, washer, nut, and bushing being covered over all with plastic insulation having a circular cup shape about the bushing engaging the insulation on the spine and excluding electrolyte except at the ends of the wires.

References Cited in the file of this patent Belke Plating Rack Manual (1947), plate Metal Finishing, January 1950, page 19. 

